Daniel Hernández Jr.

Daniel Hernández Jr. (born January 25, 1990) is an American politician serving as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives.[1] A member of the Arizona Democratic Party, he serves alongside Rosanna Gabaldón in Legislative District 2.[1] Hernández played a decisive role in saving former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords's life when she was nearly assassinated during a constituent meeting in 2011.[2]

Daniel Hernández
Hernandez in 2020
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 2nd district
Assumed office
January 9, 2017
Serving with Andrea Dalessandro
Preceded byJ. Christopher Ackerley
Personal details
Born (1990-01-25) January 25, 1990
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesAlma Hernandez
EducationUniversity of Arizona
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life and education

Hernandez was born in 1990 to Daniel Hernandez Sr. and Consuelo Quiñones Hernandez, a working-class family in Tucson, Arizona.[3] He has two younger sisters, Consuelo and fellow state representative, Alma Hernandez.[4]

In 2008, Hernandez volunteered for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and for Gabrielle Giffords' re-election campaign.[5] He graduated from Sunnyside High School in 2008 and started at the University of Arizona in the fall.[6]

Career

In 2011, while a student at the University of Arizona, Hernandez worked as an intern in the office of Gabby Giffords. During the first week of his internship, Hernandez helped organize a "Congress on your Corner" event, which was the site of the 2011 Tucson shooting. After Giffords was shot in the head, Hernandez held her up and stanched the bleeding with his hand until employees from the nearby grocery store brought him clean smocks.[5] In doing so, he is credited with saving the Congresswoman's life.[2] Later that year, he was elected to the board of the Sunnyside Unified School District.[7][8]

Arizona Legislature

In 2016, Hernandez ran for the Arizona House of Representatives. He defeated Republican incumbent J. Christopher Ackerley in the general election alongside Democratic incumbent Rosanna Gabaldon. Together, Hernandez and Gabaldon won the two seats of the Arizona House's 2nd District, with Hernandez receiving 32,651 votes. Hernandez and Gabaldon had previously defeated Aaron Baumann in the Democratic primary.[9]

He is one of four openly gay members of the Arizona State Legislature, alongside Robert Meza, Tony Navarrete and Cesar Chavez,[10] and is a co-founder of the LGBT Caucus in Arizona.[7][11]

Hernandez endorsed a 2016 ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona.[12]

References
  1. "A day of drama: Here is a rundown of who won, who lost in Tuesday’s election". Arizona Capitol Times, November 9, 2016.
  2. "Intern's memoir recalls Giffords shooting". CNN. February 6, 2018.
  3. "Note to Self: Daniel Hernandez Jr". CBS News. February 5, 2013.
  4. "Daniel Hernandez Jr. calm and mature since he was a child". Tucson.com. January 20, 2011.
  5. "Daniel Hernandez: The Intern Who Helped Rescue Giffords". TIME. January 13, 2011.
  6. "Sunnyside alum Daniel Hernandez, Jr. to be honored by district". Tucson KOLD. February 22, 2011.
  7. "Meet the Candidates: Arizona's Daniel Hernandez". The Advocate, November 2, 2016.
  8. "GEMS ELECTION RESULTS". webcms.pima.gov. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  9. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 General Election November 8, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  10. "After Phoenix Pride, LGBT political representation is a yearlong issue". The State Press, April 15, 2018.
  11. "In Arizona, Advocating For The LGBTQ Community Starts In Local Politics". NPR.org. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  12. http://www.thedailychronic.net/2016/62532/arizona-school-officials-endorse-marijuana-legalization-initiative-205/
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